How many of you Lakelubbers pay attention to filming locations at the end of a movie’s credits? Film location scouting begins very early in a movie’s creation, bringing to life the visions of the movie’s writers, directors, and producers. In this newsletter we highlight nine spectacular movie locations filmed on lakes around the world.

Fuschlsee (Fuschl Lake), AustriaThe opening aerial shots of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music (1965) provide panoramic views of Austria’s famous Salzkammergut Lake District, including the magnificent Fuschl Castle on Fuschlsee (see=lake). Although spanning just 657 acres, glacial Fuschl Lake is a popular sightseeing gem dotted with charming villages, beautiful summer swimming beaches, and scenic winter mountain trails. Located in Salzburg Province about 20 miles east of the city of Salzburg, Fuschlsee exudes the essence of Austria. The region is filled with The Sound of Music scenes, castle ruins, “holler alms” (mountain hut restaurants) and countless hiking trails, all awaiting your discovery. A well-marked path circles the lake’s shoreline, inviting visitors to hike through historic villages, take a refreshing dip, picnic in a mountain meadow, or stop for a meal at a lakeshore restaurant.

Lake Wakatipu, New ZealandGlacial Lake Wakatipu on the South Island of New Zealand is fuel for myths, a backdrop for Hollywood movies, and a destination for adventure seekers. The depths of Lake Wakatipu reach below sea level, where native people (Maori) believe a giant’s heart beats. Its waters were the setting for the movie The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007). The mountains that rim the lake provided the scenery for the movie Vertical Limit (2000), and just like in the film, cliff climbers scale the mountains in search of the ultimate thrill. Lake Wakatipu is perhaps most famous for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the perfect “Middle Earth” filmed entirely in New Zealand. Locations around the lake provided the scenery for Lothlorien, Gladden Fields, Amon Hen, and Misty Mountains sequences. The refurbished steamship, the TSS Earnslaw, provides tours of this 72,000-acre lake.

Lake Powell, Arizona and UtahLake Powell, straddling the Arizona/Utah border, gets the prize in this newsletter as hosting the most movie crews (more than 30) during five decades, testimony to the surreal beauty of this red-rock desert area. Dams built along the meandering Colorado River created magnificent lakes, with Horseshoe Bend – downstream of Lake Powell – the most stunning meander of all. Among the most famous movies filmed at Lake Powell include The Greatest Story Ever Told (1962), Planet of the Apes (1968 and the 2001 remake), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Superman III (1983), Maverick (1993), Charlie’s Angles: Full Throttle (2003), and The Hulk (2003). John Carter of Mars, a Disney-Pixar adventure epic, filmed at Lake Powell in 2010 and is scheduled for release in 2012. Come for a visit and discover for yourself the allure of Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Recreation Area.

Loch Shiel, Scotland
Surrounded by one of the few remaining areas of true wilderness in Scotland, the picturesque scenery around Scotland’s Loch Shiel has been an inspiration to many over the centuries. The area is a remote and unspoiled part of the Scottish Highlands, creating the ideal setting for fantastical imaginings. All witches and warlocks will recognize the scenery for the magical Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire), which in real life is the Jacobite steam train that crosses over the famous 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct and offers spectacular views of Loch Shiel. The boat scenes in Highlander, the 1986 fantasy movie that spawned four sequels, were filmed on Loch Shiel near Glenfinnan Monument. Perhaps 4.942-acre Loch Shiel is as immortal as Connor MacLeod, the movie’s immortal Highlander.

To read about all 9 of the Lake Movie Locations, visit our Lakelubbers Newsletter Archive. And don’t forget to sign up for future newsletters, delivered straight to your email inbox!

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